


Decision

by JKlog



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, Sentinel Bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2019-03-31 02:12:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13965129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JKlog/pseuds/JKlog
Summary: Blair has to make a decision.Sentinel Bingo challengePrompt: fork in the road





	Decision

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to thank Bluewolf for her wonderful work as beta.

Blair was looking at a picture of himself and Jim, who was holding the salmon that Blair had caught, both smiling at Simon's camera, when he felt a presence behind him. Without turning around, he knew it was Jim. After all, who else moved as quietly as a cat and was also the only person with him in the loft? Blair almost laughed at that. But no. He turned slowly, and said, pretending nonchalance, "I'm thinking of getting married."

Jim didn’t seem surprised. "To Emily?"

"Yeah, I think she's the one for me." And after a pause, he added, "What do you think?"

"I think you should be with whoever makes you happy, Sandburg."

_That would be you_ , Blair thought. He was in front of a fork in the road. Emily or Jim. Jim or Emily. Marry and leave the loft, or stay with Jim forever. Although the latter represented living forever in the small room under the stairs. Because it was clear that Jim wouldn’t accept it in any other way. Jim loved him, that was for sure, but not in _that way._ Could Blair give his heart to someone other than Jim?

"What about you? What would make you happy?" Blair asked, hopeful.

"What makes you happy will make me happy," Jim replied, who quickly clarified, "I mean, if you want to get married, go ahead, do it. Don’t worry about me."

"Do you want me to go?"

"No! I mean, yes ... I mean, I don’t want you to leave, but if that's what you decide, and it's what makes you happy, well ... I'll support you."

"I don’t want to leave, Jim."

Jim stared at him, frowning. He really didn’t understand Sandburg. On the one hand he wanted to get married, and on the other, he wanted to stay. He couldn’t do both. It was one or the other. Jim wanted Blair to stay, even if it was forever in the small room under the stairs. Because it was clear that Sandburg wouldn’t do otherwise. Blair loved him, but not in _that way_.

"You can’t marry and continue living here, Chief."

Blair looked down at the ground, sheepishly. "Actually, I don’t want to get married."

Jim continued to frown. "You said you would marry Emily."

"I said I was thinking about getting married, not that I would."

Jim softened his expression with a slight smile. "Sandburg, you have a very big decision to make. You’re about to turn thirty. It’s an age at which every man sets goals. You should think very well what you’re going to do."

_Don’t get married! Or better, marry, but marry me!_ That was what Jim wanted to tell him.

"Okay, Jim. I'll think about it." Blair went to his room. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Chief."

 

* * *

 

 

The next day, Blair went on a date with Emily. They had dinner in an elegant restaurant. They stayed talking until it closed. It was one a.m. when Blair stopped his Volvo in front of the building where Emily lived.

"Do you want to come up with me?" she asked, stroking Blair's thigh through his dress pants.

"No, better not, tomorrow we have to work."

"We have time, Blair," she said. Blair leaned toward her, and she toward him. When Emily thought he was going to kiss her on the mouth, he kissed her on the cheek.

"See you tomorrow, Emily."

"Wait a minute. Are you seeing someone else, Blair?"

"No! I'm not seeing anyone."

"And why are you being so cold to me?"

"I don’t know, Emily." Blair rubbed his hands over his face. "Maybe we should give ourselves some time."

"I don’t think so, Blair. I have something to tell you." She paused for effect.

"I'm pregnant."

"What?!"

"What you heard."

"But we always used a condom!"

"Well, it must have broken, because I'm pregnant."

Blair couldn’t believe it. A huge weight had settled on his shoulders.

"And what are you going to do, Emily?"

"You mean, what are WE going to do" She smiled triumphantly. "We're going to get married, of course."

Blair inclined his head, defeated. "Whatever you want, Emily. It’s my responsibility."

"Well, since we reached an agreement, are you going to kiss me goodnight?"

Blair kissed her, coolly. He really didn’t love her, but he had made her pregnant. It was his responsibility. He had to marry her. There was no other option. Emily didn’t want another option.

That night, lying in his bed, Blair cried silently. He cried for what could have been with Jim, and now it could never be.

 

* * *

 

Although Blair had cried silently, Jim still noticed it. He felt the salty smell of tears. Little of what happened in the loft went unnoticed by him.

The next morning, at breakfast, Blair was unusually quiet. Jim had to know what was happening to him.

"Why are you so quiet, Chief? Did something happen with Emily?"

Blair inclined his head for a minute. When he raised it, Jim could see that his eyes were full of tears.

"She’s pregnant."

Jim felt as if his heart had stopped beating. That was serious. It could only mean one thing. Blair was going to move out of his life. Surely he was going to marry Emily. But, if that was what Blair had said he wanted to do, why was he so sad?

"Why are you so sad? I thought you wanted to marry Emily."

"I’d thought that was what I wanted to do, but now I'm not so sure. Though now it doesn’t make sense to think that. Emily wants us to marry. I don’t have any other option."

"But do you love her, Chief?"

"No. Actually, I love somebody else."

They remained silent, looking into each other's eyes. Jim stood at the table, a cup of coffee in his hand, and Blair sitting at the table, with toast in his hand. The plate of scrambled eggs in front of him was untouched.

"Maybe it's none of my business, but who is that other person?" Jim asked. He felt Blair's heart speed up.

Blair thought there was no point in keeping his feelings hidden. Anyway, he was going to leave the loft, so it didn’t matter if Jim kicked him out.

"That person is you, Jim."

If before he had felt as if his heart had stopped, now Jim felt that it was going to burst out of his chest.

“You love me?" Jim couldn’t believe it. "Me, Chief?"

Blair bowed his head again, preparing himself for the derision he thought he was likely to receive from his friend.

"Yes, I'm in love with you. For some time now."

When Blair raised his head, he saw a huge smile on the Sentinel's face. He interpreted it as a mocking smile. He got up from his chair, saying, "I'll find a place to live today, or better, I'll go live with Emily. Today. Don’t worry." And he headed to his room.

Jim moved quickly and stood in front of him before he could get there.

"Wait a minute, Blair. I also have something to tell you."

"Please, Jim. My heart is already broken. Don’t make it worse."

"I don’t want your heart broken. I want it healthy and strong and beating full of love for me." Jim put a finger on Blair's chin and forced him to look him in the eyes.

"Because I love you too, Blair."

Blair's eyes widened. But still his mind refused to register the words of his friend. He simply refused to understand it.

"You love me? Like a brother?"

Jim smiled at the stubbornness of his Guide. He decided that an action would say more than a thousand words. He inclined his head and touched Blair's lips with his. It was a brief kiss, but it sent an electric shock through both men.

"Now you understand me?"

"But, Jim! You’re straight!"

"Not as far as you are concerned, Chief."

Blair was shocked by that, while Jim played with his curls. He had always wanted to do that.

"This is very strange. I don’t understand," said Blair, astonished.

"What is there to understand? I love you and you love me. We are in love with each other. That's it." For Jim, everything was very simple.

"Do you really love me?"

"Yes, Blair, I really love you. In a totally non-platonic way."

At that moment, the pieces fell into place in Blair's mind. A bright smile spread across his face. He finally understood it.

"Oh, Jim! You love me!"

And he stood on tiptoe, as he wrapped his arms around Jim's neck, who wrapped his arms around Blair's torso. They kissed deeply. When they separated, they both had goofy grins on their faces. Blair was so happy, he forgot about Emily and her pregnancy. But Jim didn’t forget it.

"What are we going to do about Emily now, Chief?"

"Oh." Blair became serious. "I think I'll have to talk to her and tell her the truth. That I'm in love with somebody else. I won’t tell her it's you, Jim. I can’t marry her now that I know that you love me. But, if she decides to have the baby, I’ll support her as much as I can. I’ll even recognize my son or daughter. I won’t abandon her."

"I wouldn’t expect less from you, Chief."

And they kissed again.

 

* * *

 

The next day, Blair invited Emily to lunch at a diner near the University. She arrived fifteen minutes late. When she approached Blair to kiss him on the mouth, he dodged to kiss her on the cheek. She sat across from him in the booth, frowning.

"What's wrong with you, Blair?"

"I have to talk very seriously with you, Emily."

"Don’t tell me you're having second thoughts about marrying me."

"Actually, yes. I can’t marry you. I'm in love with someone else."

"It's that cop you live with, Jim, isn’t it? You’re always talking about him, and your eyes shine when you do it. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was him."

"No matter who it is, what matters is that I'm not going to marry you. But I won’t leave you alone. I’ll support you throughout the pregnancy and after it. I’ll recognize my son or daughter. Don’t worry."

Emily laughed. "I really thought it would be easy to catch you, you were always a person willing to do the right thing, always. I wanted to catch you, have you for mine. Be known as the woman who had finally made Blair Sandburg settle down. But it doesn’t make sense anymore. I couldn’t do it."

She got up from the seat and picked up her purse. Before leaving, she said, with a maniacal smile, "Don’t worry, Blair, I lied. I'm not pregnant."

And she left, leaving a surprised Blair sitting in the diner's booth.

 

* * *

 

"So Emily was lying, after all." Jim said this while cuddling Blair on the couch. He had just arrived from work. The dinner Blair had cooked was in the oven. His Guide had told him what had happened with Emily in the diner.

"Yeah, I still can’t believe it, that she tried to deceive me in that way. She just wanted to own me, as if I were some kind of trophy."

"Well, now everything has become clear. Though, honestly, it’d have been nice to have a little guide among us."

"Really, Jim?" Blair straightened up on the couch to look Jim in the eye.

"Really. Though I think it’s too early in our relationship to talk about kids, we can think about it later. Don’t you think?"

Blair answered with a bright grin. "It’d also be nice to have a little sentinel between us."

"Everything in its time, Chief, everything in its time."

 

 


End file.
